It is common practice to provide keys and keyways on the two housings of an electrical connector assembly so that the two housings can be assembled or coupled to each other and one of the housings cannot coupled to an otherwise identical housing for which it is not intended. Ordinarily, the keys and the keyway plugs are produced as loose piece parts and the technician must select plugs and keys and assemble them to the two housings of a connector assembly in predetermined positions in order to key the parts to each other. The task of assembling the keyway plugs and the keys to the housings is time-consuming. Also, there is a distinct possibility that the technician will make an error in assembling the parts to the housings and that the desired keying effects will not be obtained. The present invention is directed to improved keys and keyways and to the achievement of an improved method of assembling keys and keyplugs to key mounting positions and keyways on electrical connector housings.
In accordance with one aspect thereof, the invention comprises an electrical connector assembly which consists of first and second connector housings, a plurality of keys, and a plurality of keyway plugs. The housings have mating faces which are opposed to each other when the housings are coupled to each other. A plurality of keyways extend inwardly from the mating face of the first connector housing and a plurality of key mounting positions are provided on the mating face of the second connector housing. The keys are dimensioned so that they can be slidably received in the keyways and are mountable at the mounting positions. The keyway plugs are capable of being permanently mounted in the keyways. The connector assembly is characterized in that the keyways and the key mounting positions are arranged in rows with the keyways and the key mounting positions spaced apart at predetermined intervals. The keyway plugs and the keys are identical parts and are in the form of a strip, the strip comprising a continuous carrier strip from which the identical parts extend normally of the length of the carrier strip. The identical parts are spaced apart at the same predetermined intervals as are the keyways and the key mounting positions. The identical parts are removably connected to the carrier strip so that the first connector housing can be keyed to the second connector housing by removing at least one of the identical parts from the strip and assembling the removed part or parts to one of the housings. Thereafter the remaining identical parts are assembled to the other connector housing.
In accordance with further aspects of the invention, each of the identical parts has mounting surface portions extending from one end thereof at least partially towards the other end. The key mounting positions and keyways have complementary mounting surface portions which are interengageable with the mounting surface portions of the identical parts. Each of the keyways and each of the key mounting positions has a rib extending normally of the associated mating face, the complementary mounting surface portions being the surfaces of the ribs. Each of the identical parts has an axially extending recess which conforms in cross section to the cross sections of the ribs. The mounting surface portions are thus the surfaces of the recesses.
In accordance with a further aspect, the invention comprises a plurality of keyway plugs and a plurality of keys which can be assembled to keyways in a first connector housing and to key mounting positions on a second connector housing respectively. The keyway plugs and the keys are identical parts and are provided as a strip which comprises a continuous carrier strip from which the identical parts extend laterally on a pitch which is the same as the spacing between the keyways on the first connector housing and the key mounting positions on the second connector housing. Each identical part on the strip has a proximate end which is proximate to the carrier strip and a remote end which is remote from the carrier strip. The identical parts are removably secured to the carrier strip at their proximate ends. Each of the identical parts also has an axially extending mounting surface portion which extends from the remote end thereof at least partially towards the proximate end.
A further aspect of the invention comprises a method of keying an electrical connector assembly which assembly comprises first and second connector housings. The housings have mating faces which are opposed to each other when they are coupled to each other. A plurality of keyway positions extend inwardly from the mating face of the first connector housing and a like plurality of key mounting positions are provided on the mating face of the second connector housing. The method comprises the steps of providing keys and keyways as identical parts in side-by-side strip form with the identical parts removably connected to a carrier strip and with the spacing between adjacent identical parts being the same as the spacing between adjacent positions in the first housing and adjacent positions in the second housing. The method further comprises the steps of detaching at least one of the identical parts from the carrier strip and assembling the detached part to one of the housings. Thereafter the remaining identical parts, while still attached to the carrier strip, are aligned with the positions on the other housing and assembled to the other housing. Finally, the carrier strip is broken away from or otherwise removed from the remaining identical parts.